Poker tournaments have handed out bracelets, rings, enormous championship cups and millions of dollars in prize money during 2026, but one considerably smaller event in London may have beaten them all when it comes to the trophy.
The team at Poker Type thinks this might be the best-looking poker trophy we’ve seen all year.
The beautiful glass prize has been commissioned for the Areté Ventures Poker Tournament, which is due to take place later in September as part of the company’s end-of-summer event in London.
A photograph of the trophy was shared on LinkedIn by Areté Ventures director Emma McConachie, with the event being staged alongside Patch Events in St Paul’s and Binq Poker providing the poker entertainment.
“Later this month we host the Areté Ventures end of summer party,” McConachie wrote, before revealing that the company’s “fabulous winner’s trophy arrived today.”
The photograph certainly got our attention.
A Serious Piece of Poker Glassware
The trophy carries the Areté Ventures logo above the inscription “Poker Tournament Winner” and “September 2026,” etched into a substantial asymmetric glass award.
It might not have the history of a WSOP bracelet or the monetary value attached to some of poker’s most famous trophies, but purely on appearance, Poker Type is struggling to think of a better one we’ve seen this year.
The winner will have earned bragging rights, too, because this isn’t a real-money gambling event.
Binq Poker’s corporate tournaments are played using play chips, with the company describing the prizes as being about “pride, a trophy and the all important bragging rights.” Previous poker experience isn’t required, with dealers and staff helping newcomers learn the game.
Who Is Binq Poker?
The company behind the tables is an interesting poker business in its own right.
Binq Poker was established in London in early 2024 by David McConachie with the idea of taking skills learned at the poker table and applying them to business.
McConachie spent more than 20 years working for major advertising companies alongside his poker career. Binq now combines corporate poker tournaments with training seminars covering subjects including strategic decision-making, negotiation, reading body language, risk management and performing under pressure.
Its tagline rather neatly explains the concept: bringing the “Poker Room to the Boardroom.”
Binq has already taken that idea into some interesting environments. Charlton Athletic previously invited McConachie to speak at a Business Club event at The Valley about poker principles including risk appetite, negotiation and body language. Binq has also hosted corporate poker events and has publicised work with companies across finance, media and real estate.
McConachie has considerable experience at the other kind of poker table as well. In January 2026, he finished runner-up to Pau Veciana in the 888poker Barcelona Main Event for $48,875. At the time, his live poker winnings were reported at more than $900,000.
Poker Finds Another Place Away From the Casino
Binq’s business also points towards a less frequently covered side of poker.
Poker’s combination of incomplete information, probability, psychology, risk and decision-making has long attracted people working in trading and finance. Binq is attempting to package those same characteristics for a much broader corporate audience.
Its events are designed to be accessible to complete beginners rather than experienced poker players. The company says fewer than 20% of the 45 participants at its first event had played poker previously. The eventual winner had never played before.
Binq also offers more formal seminars built around identifying different personality types, body language, risk management, high-stakes negotiation, strategic decision-making and performing under pressure.
That makes the forthcoming Areté Ventures tournament another example of poker finding a home well beyond casinos and conventional tournament rooms.
There doesn’t appear to be a publicly advertised schedule for the event, which is understandable given that it is a corporate function rather than an open poker tournament. The information shared so far places it later in September at an Areté Ventures end-of-summer event involving Patch Events in St Paul’s.
We therefore don’t know who will get their hands on the trophy yet.
We do know they’ll need a fairly substantial mantelpiece.
